Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1887-06-01
FARM AM
JUNE.

-. JUNE.
The cuckoo-cups are full Of rain, y
And little elves do battle there in,
The straddling spires o'beard-grass high
Swing back and forth till they be dry,
For mocnworts bloom, and June is here,
The sweetest month Of all the year.
The fallow-hnches haunt the corn
" With songs of summers dead and gone,
.E* And every lass that's fair to view
Doth walk with fernseed in her shoe.
- For Natures darling, June, ia here,
" the wooing month Of all the year.
-AxEL1E R1vEs, IN HARPEn's MAGAZINE FOR
JUNE, @+
FLOWERS AS EDUCATORS.
The lessons Of early childhood are
those we remember longest, and it has
occurred to me that an interest in the
cultivation of trees and plants might be
aroused in school days, while habits are
forming, that would last through life.
To accomplish this the s~choolhouse,
outside as we'll as in, should become a
source of instruction. Neatness is the
first principle to be inculcated. With
out this all gardening operations are de-
void of charm. Simplicity in arrange
ment is of the utmost Importance.
Children must not be burdened with
work; so that the best effect we can pro-
duce with the least amount of labor
will prove most desirable. Pupils at a
very early age may be taught to feel a
sense of ownership in their school
grounds, and a desire will consequently
arise that they ought to assist in MAIN
tanning the requisite order in this gar
den of their own. 1t is a great mistake
to plant anything, even a single tree,
in the portion allotted to play. Space
should be provided close around the
building and skirting the boundaries of
the grounds. Shade is essential, but it
must not interfere with outdoor games.
A few trees set reasonably near the
building is in order, and an occasional
specimen or small clump at intervals
planted close to the outer edge of the
grounds will have a pleasing effect.
On the Northern boundary ofthe place
should be planted a belt of evergreens to
serve as a wind-break, and it is wonder
full how useful apurpose it serves. Along
the Southern limits, as well as at the sides
may extend a border with easy flowing
outlines for hardy shrubs and flowers.
Perennial plants are the best for the pur-
pose, as they require little care beyond
keeping down troublesome weeds from
smothering them out and stalking up the
weaker stems when in bloom.
I~nterspersed among these a few bulbs
of gladiolus, tuberoses, tiger flowers,
lilies, etc., will assist in making a fine
show of flowers and accustom the child
rem to the various classes of plants; real
object lessons, at once attractive and
useful. In front of the school-building
(and every such edifce should front the
South)may be placed one or more flower
beds for either a few ANIMALS or the ten
der coleus and geraniums. Over the
walls should cling the pretty little Japan
Ampelopsis, and the doorway must be
festooned with selection from the long
list of available ornamental vines, All
these plants will be teaching their silent
lessons every day, and with judicious
hints from the teacher instruction will
be given that will prove a source of life
long pleasure and profit.
CHARACTER.
Many people seem to forget that
character grows-that it is not some
thing to put on ready-made with wo-
manhood or manhood, but day by day,
here a little and there a little, grows
with the strength, until, good or bad,
it becomes almost a coat of mail.
Look at a man of business-prompt,
reliable, conscientious. yet clear-headed
and energetic. When do you suppose
he developed all those admirable quail
ties? When he was a boy. Let us
see how a boy of ten years gets up in
the morning, works, plays, and studies
and we will tell you just what kind ola
man he will make. The boy that is
late at breakfast, and late at school,
stands a poor chance to be a prompt
man. The boy who neglects his duties,
be they ever so small, and then excuses
himself by saying, II forgot, I don't
Think" will never be a reliable man:
and the boy who fin Dis pleasure in the
suffering of weaker things, will never
be a noble, generous, kind mana
gentleman.
WATER FOR SMALL FRUITS.
Where water can be commanded,
there is nothing so profitable as to we'll
soak the soil about small fruits; first
about the time that they have set their
fruit. Much of the value of this oper-
alton, however, will depend on the ma
ture of the soil. The advantages are
least in a tenacious and greatest in a
porous soil. 1t is said that an animal
derives most benefit from food when it
is hungry before it begins to eat; it is
certainly so with plants. Water applied
to soil already wet is an injury; and
water never has so 'telling an advantage
on vegetation as when every leaf is
about to wither up for the want of it.
A plant that never seems to want water
is in a very doubtful condition in regard
to its health. -
~A---- -~-- 80 d. L.